Vienna tests energy saving tram

Vienna public transport operator Wiener Linien is testing an energy saving tram, the EcoTram, using it in daily operation until May 2014. The tram is part of a bigger project to make public transport vehicles more energy efficient. A Siemens ultra low floor tram has been equipped with intelligent control units that predict whether cooling or heating will be required. If the tram enters a tunnel where the ambient temperature is cooler, the air-conditioning will be turned down. The units control three air
August 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Vienna EcoTram
Vienna public transport operator 4203 Wiener Linien is testing an energy saving tram, the EcoTram, using it in daily operation until May 2014. The tram is part of a bigger project to make public transport vehicles more energy efficient.

A 189 Siemens ultra low floor tram has been equipped with intelligent control units that predict whether cooling or heating will be required. If the tram enters a tunnel where the ambient temperature is cooler, the air-conditioning will be turned down. The units control three air-conditioning units with heat pumps, a variable-frequency compressor and CO2 sensors. According to Siemens, the tram could offer annual savings of up to 3,000 MWh for tram operator Wiener Linien.

The EcoTram project has been running since 2009, supported by the Climate and Energy Fund of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency as part of its New Energies 2020 programme.

Other project partners include the Automation and Control Institute at Technische Universität Wien, which has developed the control software; Rail Tec Arsenal, which has manufactured the measuring technology; and Vossloh Kiepe, which has supplied the heating and air-conditioning units. Consulting firm SCHIG mbH is the project manager.

Related Content

  • October 26, 2017
    Section speed enforcements gains global converts
    As the benefits of section speed enforcement are becoming clearer, the technology is gaining converts worldwide. Colin Sowman reports. America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling for urgent action from both road authorities and the federal government to combat speeding which has been identified as one of the most common factors in motor vehicle crashes in the United States. This new call follows the publication of a safety study which found that between 2005 through 2014, 31% of all
    Read More
  • February 2, 2012
    A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel
    Read More
  • December 19, 2017
    USDoT pilots show win-win potential for connected vehicles
    Pete Goldin discovers the state of play with connected vehicles trials in the US and the impact of Hurricane Irma on Tampa’s pilot. The US Department of Transportation’s (USDoT’s) connected vehicle (CV) pilot sites have moved into phase 2 of the deployment programme– design, build, test and, maybe most importantly, collaborate.
    Read More
  • December 4, 2014
    Smart Cities put people, prudence and businesses before technology
    Caroline Haynes tells ITS International that transport planners and equipment suppliers need to adopt different thinking and the smartest cities don’t call themselves smart. The term Smart Cities has been around for some time and has become something of a catch-all term applied to novel or futuristic technology deployed in an urban setting.
    Read More

Highlighted Content